#brocas helm

[dungeon-bitch]

[metalsongoftheday]

Thursday, July 3: Brocas Helm, "Ravenwreck"

“Ravenwreck” was one of many tunes that sounded laughably Z-grade in 1984 but inadvertently provided a template countless throwback metal acts would follow 35-plus years later.  Along the same lines as Manilla Road, Brocas Helm offered a weird fusion of prog and semi-thrash power metal, with raw vocals from Bobbie Wright that brought the drama largely by accident since it wasn’t at all a given he actually knew what he was doing.  But there was a reason this sound proved to be so influential: partly because it was an easier point of entry, but really because it was one of the last times heavy metal was mostly just fun, and “Ravenwreck” was definitely fun- Brocas Helm slammed the tune out with gusto and a joy in playing that couldn’t be faked.

[dry-valleys]

[vinylspinning]

Brocas Helm: Into Battle (1984)

This album's exceedingly plain, even dull -- ok, butt-ugly -- cover art says a lot about its creators' impoverished independent status, but it also fails to do any justice to one of America's great '80s cult metal bands: Brocas Helm!

Though they came into existence in the same time and place (1982, the San Francisco Bay Area) as thrash metal speedsters like Exodus and L.A. transplants Metallica, Brocas Helm were musically aligned with fellow castle metal knights like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Witchkiller, and the neighboring Griffin.

Meaning that band members Bobbie R. Wright (vocals and guitar), Jim Schumacher (bass and, uh, magic!), and Jack Hayes (drums) took most of their cues from select late '70s metal pioneers like Rainbow and Judas Priest and especially New Wave of British Heavy Metal champions like Iron Maiden and Angel Witch.

In 1984, Brocas Helm inked deals with First Strike Records (for America) and Steamhammer (for Europe) and then bravely rode Into Battle wielding little (certainly little recording budget) but the cardboard Excalibur depicted in the hilarious band photo overhead.

Ah, but Brocas Helm were blessed with the most unshakable, if innocent, heavy metal faith as they rode out of the thunderstorm on the hooves of "Metallic Fury," sought ancient treasure on "Dark Rider," showed their Tolkien fandom with "In the Ithilstone," and slayed the dragon with a six-string axe on "Warriors of the Dark."

No, seriously, even those self-appointed 'Kings of Metal,' Manowar, had nothing on Brocas Helm's lyrics, see for yourselves:

"And against a spear of lightning; A figure rides the stars; His steed a dragon red and gold; His weapon a black guitar.

My fingers played like hellfire; As I played the killing chord; The dragon screams and falls from sky; As if pierced by magic sword."

What did I tell you?

But Brocas Helm were at their finest and fiercest when the title track, "Here to Rock," and "Night Siege" accelerated to a frantic gallop, armed with Wright's explosive shredding, which came jabbing and slashing all unworthy 'false metal' poseurs to shreds.

Indeed, with surprisingly powerful performances like these, one can't help but wonder what might have been, if only these metallic knights could have benefitted from even the slightest financial backing.

Instead, as I once wrote in the All-Music Guide, Brocas Helm waited four long years to deliver their second album, Black Death, and issued nothing but demos in the 1990s, before re-recording several old favorites for 2004's Defender of the Crown collection.

Ultimately, although they were clearly doomed to waste away in a castle metal dungeon, Brocas Helm's influence later reverberated through the Bay Area metal scene, thanks to 21st Century acolytes like Slough Feg, Saviours, Hammers of Misfortune, and Ludicra.

More Castle Metal: 3 Inches of Blood’s Battlecry Under a Winter Sun, Armored Saint's March of the Saint, Cirith Ungol’s King of the Dead, Grand Magus' Monument, Griffin’s Flight of the Griffin, Hammers of Misfortune's The Bastard, High On Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Isen Torr’s Mighty & Superior EP, Khemmis’ Hunted, Lair of the Minotaur's Carnage, Legend’s Fröm the Fjörds, Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Trilogy, Manilla Road’s Crystal Logic, Manowar’s Hail to England, Omen’s Battle Cry, Overdrive's Swords and Axes Queensrÿche’s Queensrÿche EP, Rainbow’s Rising, Savatage's Hall of the Mountain King, Silver Mountain’s Shakin’ Brains, Skeletonwitch’s Beyond the Permafrost, Stygian Shore’s Stygian Shore EP, The Sword’s Age of Winters, Virgin Steele’s Guardians of the Flame, Witchkiller’s Day of the Saxons EP.

[denofthemetalrat]

But if you wanna talk about an actual classic, Brocas Helm is about as classic as you can get. (Yes I know they're not 70s band but shshsh.) Their album, Defender of the Crown has some goddamn bangers, like Drink the Blood of The Priest, Blood Machine, Skullfucker, Time of the Dark, and obviously, Defender of the Crown. It was also featured in one of the best metal games of all time! Brütal Legend!

[radioactivetoad]

Brocas Helm - Black Death Box Set Limited Edition

[davey-dammit]

[horrid-phantasm]

Brocas Helm